ROAD TO GEORGIA GOES THROUGH DENVERUCSD heads to the colder climate of Denver, Colo., this Wednesday, Nov. 14, to continue play in the 2012 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship at Auraria Field on the campus of Metropolitan State University of Denver. The 48-team championship field has been whittled down to 16, with the Tritons the only survivors from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and the state of California. Ranked fifth nationally and seeded second, UCSD is set to take on 23rd-ranked and fifth-seeded Western Washington in the NCAA Third Round for the West Region title on Friday, Nov. 16, at 12:30 p.m. PT. Friday's earlier South Central Region final between third-seeded host Metro State and fourth seed Colorado Mines kicks off at 10 a.m. PT. The winners will match up in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. PT.

WHAT'S AT STAKEThe team to advance out of Sunday's NCAA Quarterfinals will have completed the Road to Georgia, as the NCAA Semifinals and Final will be contested at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga., Nov. 29-Dec. 1. The Peach Belt Conference is host.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORYThe Tritons are in search of an eighth NCAA national title. The first five came during the NCAA Division III days, with the last two coming in UCSD's first two seasons at the Division II level (2000, 2001). UCSD has subsequently made eight consecutive NCAA tournaments and 12 of 13 since moving to Division II. The Tritons take a record of 21-8-2 in NCAA Division II Championship games heading into Denver.

NCAA THIRD ROUND AND QUARTERFINALS TICKETSTickets for this weekend are $10 for adults, $5 for students with identification and seniors, and $2 for children aged 2-12. Children under the age of two are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

NCAA THIRD ROUND AND QUARTERFINALS COVERAGEAll three games this weekend will have live video and live stats available, free of charge. Fans can go to the tournament homepage at gometrostate.com/2012wsoccer to access the links, or navigate through either the women's soccer Schedule/Results page or Live Stats area at UCSDtritons.com.

McMANUS ONE WIN FROM TOP OF DIVISION II RECORDSBrian McManus is in his 26th season as the head coach of the UC San Diego women's soccer program. He has led the Tritons to all seven of their national titles, with five in the NCAA Division III and two in Division II, as well as a record eight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) crowns. McManus' overall record stands at 432-65-43, for a career win percentage of .840. He is now tied with Gabe Mejail of Merrimack College (MA) for the most victories in NCAA Division II women's soccer history. All-time regardless of division or active status, McManus ranks in a tie with Mejail for fourth in wins and seventh in winning percentage.

RANKINGS REPORTThe Tritons were ranked No. 5 in the final regular-season NSCAA/Continental Tire national poll. The ranking matches UCSD's season high, from Sept. 25. Of this week's participants in Denver, Colorado Mines is No. 15, Western Washington is No. 23, and Metro State is unranked. Regionally, UCSD topped the last West poll, with WWU third. CSM and MSU were second and seventh, respectively, in the South Central.

WI'S GOLDEN GOAL MOVES TRITONS ONUCSD defeated Seattle Pacific, 2-1 in double overtime, at home on Saturday night in an NCAA Second Round match. Senior winger Jessica Wi collected a Hayley Johnson corner kick and produced the deciding goal at the 103:17 mark. A third senior, Gabi Hernandez, had opened the scoring in the 19th minute, notching her third goal in as many games this postseason. Kelcie Brodsky made four saves, with the Tritons having two shots hit the crossbar and two more scoring attempts come off the posts.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGSWestern Washington (19-3, 12-2 GNAC) is located in Bellingham, Wash., with its 19-win total a new school record. The Vikings navigated through the NCAA First and Second Round in Rohnert Park past a pair of CCAA foes over the weekend, both like UCSD by the identical score of 2-1 in double overtime. The Vikings are both the regular-season and tournament champions of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). They won the inaugural GNAC Championship in Tukwila, Wash., on Nov. 3 with a 2-0 triumph over Montana State Billings, and thus earned an automatic berth into this year's NCAA Championship. Western Washington has won four straight since a 1-0 home loss to then-21st-ranked Seattle Pacific on Oct. 27. The Vikings are 11-2 outside of Bellingham and 2-1 against CCAA opposition in 2012. Senior goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs, the 2012 GNAC Player of the Year, has played every minute and posted 16 shutouts, with her 0.31 goals-against average second in the nation. WWU has allowed just seven goals on the year in nearly 2,011 minutes of action. The team is led offensively by its striker tandem of junior Kristin Maris (9 G, 5 A) and Catherine Miles (8 G, 7 A), the GNAC Freshman of the Year. Another freshman forward, Stephanie Hamilton, and Maris provided the late deciders against Cal Poly Pomona (109th) and Sonoma State (103rd), respectively. Travis Connell is in his 10th season as the WWU women's head coach.

SERIES HISTORYUCSD is an undefeated 4-0-1 all-time against the Vikings, with a 4-0 home win in the lone meeting at the NCAA Championship in 2006. The most recent meeting was a scoreless draw to open the 2011 season in Bellingham.

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERSMetro State (15-5-2, 9-3-2 RMAC) was eliminated by Colorado Mines, 1-0 on the road, in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals, but earned an at-large invitation to the 48-team NCAA field to extend the longest active streak in the nation of 11 straight Division II Championship appearances. Metro State knocked off 18th-ranked and second-seeded host St. Edward's, 2-1, in Austin, Texas, on Sunday afternoon, overturning a 1-0 halftime deficit and getting second-half scores from Karisa Price (50th) and Nicole Pollack (82nd). Price, a sophomore, leads MSU with 16 goals and three assists. Junior teammate Tess Hagenlock has six goals and seven assists. Senior Jordan Simkins (0.85 GAA, 75 saves, eight shutouts) is the Roadrunner goalie. Adrianne Almaraz is in her fifth season at the helm at her alma mater.

SERIES HISTORYUCSD is 1-1 against Metro State, with the two teams splitting a pair of NCAA Quarterfinals match-ups in 2003 and 2006, each winning at home.

SCOUTING THE OREDIGGERSColorado School of Mines (17-4-1, 10-3-1 RMAC) is out of Golden, Colo. The Orediggers, like host Metro State, are members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They are led by junior forward Anna Evans (16 G, 9 A) and senior midfielders Megan Woodworth (10 G, 13 A) and Dani Hering (9 G, 4 A). Freshman Jayln Yates (0.48 GAA, 69 saves, 10 shutouts) is the regular Colorado Mines goalkeeper. Kevin Fickes is in his third season in charge.

SERIES HISTORYUCSD and Colorado Mines have never met in women's soccer.

CCAA CHAMPIONSHIP REWINDUCSD won its record eighth CCAA title in Carson on Sunday, Nov. 4. The No. 3 seed Tritons edged No. 2 seed Cal State Stanislaus late, 2-1, on an 87th-minute Gabi Hernandez goal. They then played to a 1-1 draw with top-seeded Sonoma State through 110 minutes before winning 4-2 via penalty-kick tiebreaker. The result, which officially went down as a tie, enabled UCSD to remain unbeaten all-time against Sonoma State at 15-0-3, and unbeaten as well in CCAA finals at 7-0-1. Hernandez was again the Triton goalscorer, finding the back of the net 24 seconds into the second half. The senior tri-captain also converted on her penalty-kick attempt to garner CCAA Championship MVP honors. Teammates Cassie Callahan, Britnee Chesney, Alexa Enlow and Ellen Wilson joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Callahan had opened the scoring in Friday's semifinal (Nov. 2) against Stanislaus with a header in the 52nd minute.

TRITON TRIO PICKS UP ACADEMIC HONORCassie Callahan and senior teammates Hayley Johnson and Ellen Wilson were each named recently as Capital One Academic All-District 8 honorees. All three move on to the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America national ballot. Callahan boasts a 3.9 GPA in mathematics.

WRITE THEM IN INKSenior defenders Hayley Johnson and Ellen Wilson have each started all 87 games that UCSD has played since they stepped foot onto the La Jolla campus. Johnson has generally played at left back, with Wilson a center back in head coach Brian McManus' traditional three-defender alignment. Alongside forward Gabi Hernandez, the three fourth-year seniors are tri-captains this season. Wilson is the only Triton to have played every minute in 2012. She has led UCSD field players in minutes played in each of her four years.

BRODSKY DOING WONDERS IN NETThe Tritons have not missed a beat following the departure to graduation of two-time All-American goalkeeper and 2011 CCAA Most Valuable Defensive Player Kristin Armstrong, thanks to the play of Kelcie Brodsky. The true freshman out of Agoura Hills has started all 20 games thus far and posted league-leading numbers of a 0.57 goals-against average and .88 save percentage. Her goals-against average ranks her 12th in the nation in the NCAA Division II. The All-CCAA Second Team pick is ninth in save percentage.

JOHNSON ON ASSISTS CHARTHayley Johnson is fifth on the program's all-time assists list with 32 over her stellar four-year career. She is tied for third on the team in 2012 with five assists after back-to-back team-leading double-figure season totals of 10 in 2010 and 14 in her All-America 2011 campaign. Earlier this year, Johnson passed current UCSD assistant coach and former Triton All-American Kristin Jones' total of 29 assists from 2000-03. She is four helpers away from tying a trio of former program greats in second.

MS. OCTOBER IZZY POZURAMAForward Izzy Pozurama put together an incredible October in scoring all eight of her goals during the month, helping UCSD go 6-1-1 and take the CCAA South Division for a second straight year. All eight goals came in the six victories, with four game-winners and a pair of two-goal efforts.

NEW ONLINE STORETriton Athletics is excited to announce a new partnership with Advanced-Online which will provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans now have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Advanced-Online also offers special event and championship gear. Access the site at UCSDtritonsgear.com.

FOLLOW THE TRITONSThere are now more ways than ever to follow the Tritons. You've always got UCSDtritons.com at your fingertips, but our social media scene is constantly growing. Get instant updates on Twitter and like us on Facebook. For a more visual approach, watch our YouTube channel. Follow the Tritons all year long on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes looks and giveaways!